Rest from yourself

When you live in the Law, you are heavy laden, stressful and worried, and this happens because in the Law you depend on your own strength and merits for your success. But when you live in the Grace of Jesus, you live rested all the time because you don't depend on what you can get by your own, but you trust that what Jesus won is yours too. Grace is better!

Jacob was trusting on his own strength to fix his life, to escape from his past and from the consequences of his actions. In spite of being Abraham's grandson and Isaac's son, God's men in that time, he felt unworthy that God was with him because of the things he's done. But God was with him, the problem was that he didn't know that and he didn't feel worthy of it!, and we know this because we see that when Jacob decided to take a rest when he was running from his brother, he took a rock as pillow, lay down, and had a dream: open heaven above him with a ladder wherein angels were going up and down, and then God, besides of confirming to Jacob the same covenant made to his father and grandfather, He speaks to his heart saying: "I am with you" (Genesis 28:15).

I think that it was there when Jacob's heart healing started. I imagine him crying saying: "But God, how can you love me if I hurt people, I deceive them, I seek my own benefit, I'm known as an usurper, I lied to my own family. Lord, I'm not worthy that you are with me." And I believe that those words kept ministering Jacob: "In spite of your bad behavior, I love you, I am with you." Wow!

Now, in what moment did Jacob receive that revelation? When he decided to rest! That's the secret: you have to rest from yourself, from trying by your own to win God's and people's approval, from trying to be worthy to be called His son. REST!

If you labor and are heavy laden, come to Jesus and rest. In Him you'll find the rest that your soul needs (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus didn't come to give a to-do list to win His favor, but He wants to teach you that He already won it for you. Your attitude won't be anymore: I have to win the blessings of God, but it will be: I will go to take what Jesus gave away.

Jacob thought he was running from his problems, but he wasn't running from his true problem: himself, the innate trying to win things. Besides, most assuredly he thought he was running from God too, but God never abandoned him, but Jacob didn't realize that. Jacob just closed his eyes, and behold, God was there.

Thoughts about The Lord of Miracles in Lima - Perú

Every year in October there is a tradition in Peru: The Procession of the Lord of Miracles. I just wanted to leave some thoughts about this multitudinous celebration.

- From a historic, cultural and traditional point of view, I love it! Peru is a country filled with different customs which enrich us as a nation.

- There are many people that complain because the procession of the Lord of Miracles implies the shutting off many avenues and streets, which cause many people to delay to go where they want. You know something, we have to learn to be more tolerant because we live in a society in which we all don't think differently, and tolerance has to be manifested many times accepting a little of discomfort.

- It breaks my heart to see how many people approach to Jesus thinking that they have to do some kind of sacrifice in order to be heard by God and to obtain the miracle they want. I've seen how many people of different ages walk barefoot or with their knees, thinking that their suffering will convince Jesus. I'd like to be able to tell everyone that Jesus's sacrifice is more than enough, that He did it because He loves them, and that they don't have to beg for their Heavenly Father's favor, but go to take it because it is already theirs thanks to what Jesus did.

- I don't like the fact that many evangelic christians attack the people that go to the procession telling them that they shouldn't worship images. I just don't know what they are expecting to obtain with that attitude and way of telling them; are they expecting them, maybe, to decide to be no longer catholic and start to be evangelic? If that is so, what a disastrous way to preach!


- Just is case, the miracles that took place there were made by Jesus. You read it right, by Jesus! They weren't made by the devil, if you thought so. The fact that they are mistaken in the way they approach to God does not imply that they approach to the devil. What it does implies is that they won't receive in the way God wanted them to receive. There are many times that surely you has received a blessing from you Heavenly Father not in the way He wanted you to receive it, and that was because you approached to Him in a wrong way. The people that assist to the procession are approaching God by the Law instead of by the Grace of Jesus, and by His Grace it'll always be easier!

- If you don't agree with their way to approach God and you don't love them in your heart, please do not try to convince them that what they're doing is against the Bible because you'll just end up creating barriers because of the bad way and attitude with which you will end up saying things. Remember, an indispensable ingredient to be heard by others is LOVE. If you don't have love for them, you are not qualified to teach them.

- If you are not agree with what they're doing, pray for them! In prayer, your Heavenly Father will give you, if it's His will, not only the right attitude to approach to them but also right way to do it.

I hope you've been blessed by it.

If so, don't forget to share! =)

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• Halloween (ENGLISH version): Here I answer some argument on why we shouldn't hold a activity parallel to Halloween.
• "I am Corrupt, but not so much": Many complain about our authorities's corruption without realizing that that corruption started in ourselves.

Believe that you'll take it, and it'll come

Mark 11:24 says that all we ask in prayer, if we believe that we'll receive it, it will come to us. But the word that it's been translated "receive", in greek means "take". Then, Mark 11:24 should say: "Therefore, I tell you that everything you ask in prayer, believe that you will take it, and it will come."

What Jesus was teaching is when you pray, you must believe that you can take what you're asking for, and it will come to you, that's to say, you will have it.

1. "Everything you ask in prayer". In other words, you must pray! When you pray, when you are in the presence of your heavenly Father, your faith is lifted up. Your faith will not be lifted up if you just complain, worry, or think all the time about how impossible is to have that what you wish. Your faith will grow in the presence of your Father and feeding yourself with His Word!

2. "Believe." You decide to believe in God. Of course, it is easier if your faith just naturally grows because you are filling yourself with His Word and practicing His Presence all the time, but there will be times when you just have to BELIEVE NOW. In Mark 5, Jesus said to the principal of the synagogue when he received the bad news of his daughter's dead: "Fear not, just believe." His natural reaction was fearing, but Jesus told him, in other words: "Decide to believe".

3. "That you will take it." Does this imply a little of work from you? Yes, it does! But this work is not for you to be worthy of what you are asking for, but for taking what you already receive by faith when you prayed. Big difference!
The former is through the Law, the latter through faith.
The former would be thanks to your merits, the latter is thanks Jesus's merits.
With the former you'll be worried and stressed, with the latter you'll be in peace, because even though you will go to take what it's yours, you'll know that it is yours thanks to Jesus.
With the former you'll find yourself struggling for your victory, with the latter you'd fight from Jesus's victory.

Once I heard by the radio that a person won a car. The presenter called the winner, who lived outside Lima, to tell him to come the capital to receive his prize. The winner had to go to take what's his. He didn't come to fight for his prize, but just come to take it. His journey to Lima wasn't stressful and full of uncertainty, but full of expectation, excitement and peace. That's the way it should be when we take what we ask for believing we have already received it!

If you are asking for something in prayer to you heavenly Father who loves you, believe that He's already given it to you thanks to Jesus's sacrifice, and you'll see how that confidence of going and taking what's yours will increase inside of you, knowing, besides, that your Father is with you!